Probing Pensions preview: double-dip

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) - Thursday night, Target 12 Investigator Tim White continues his exclusive series "Probing Pensions"

Now more than ever, it's critical to take a hard look at how your tax dollars are being spent. Target 12 has compiled and combed through more than 44,000 names in a massive pension database.

We already showed you workers collecting a tax-free disability pension working elsewhere, now Target 12 has a list showing you who's collecting big pensions and a government salary at the same time.

It's called "double-dipping." And though it's perfectly legal in many cases, some politicians are calling for a change to stop the practice.

It took months, but the Target 12 Investigators compiled a list from the state and five other cities and towns. Tens of thousands of names of retirees collecting a public pension. We then combined that with state and city of Providence payrolls.

In the end, our database had nearly 45-thousand names in it.

Computer engineers at Eyewitness News wrote a program to calculate how many people were collecting multiple pensions, or a pension and a full-time government paycheck at the same time.

We originally came up with 541 matches. But Target 12 carefully went through each name, often calling the retiree directly. In the end, we carved out a master list of "double-dippers" and even "triple-dippers."

"This idea of a system where you can work and collect is wrong," said Providence Mayor David Cicilline.

Cicilline wants to change the Providence pension system. It's a plan that would eliminate the practice of double-dipping entirely.

Right now, state law prevents state workers from collecting a state pension and state paycheck at the same time. But, workers can collect a state paycheck if their pension comes from certain cities or towns.

Tonight at 11:00 we'll explain how it all works and show you the state's top "double-dippers." The list is a who's-who of high-salary government workers who are also raking in a pricy pension.

Our exclusive investigation, "Probing Pensions" continues tonight at 11:00, only on Eyewitness News.